My daughter is a very good cook. She should be, I taught her. So what did she learn from me? To always go with the tried and true? Nope. I rarely do that. To experiment on your guests? Yup. She does it all the time. We had a great Roasted Portobello and Prosciutto Lasagna at her house the day after Thanksgiving. She of course had never made it before, but pulled it off with ease and panache. We had a great time.
The new house she and her fiancee bought is in one of those neighborhoods that has a lot of neighborhood parties. They attended their first one last night. Lots of people in their forties and fifties were there. She decided to bring some gougeres, but she has never made puff paste and may have slightly messed up the execution. Okay, she really messed it up, but the result was still not bad. Being my daughter, she was not willing to settle for a so-so showing. So, in typical making-her-mama proud fashion, she whipped up this Red Velvet Cake two hours before they had to be at the party. I'm so proud I could almost cry. Or toast her with some bubbly. Or both. Yeah, let's go with the bubbly. She tells me it was the hit of the party and all the old folks, (her words) gobbled it up and chatted them up the whole night. I have just one caveat for her: now they will expect great things from you. You now have a reputation to live up to. Could it be the birth of the Gates Foodie? Perhaps. But she's still too nice. Chalk it up to youth.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Nonna's stuffing
As mentioned in my last post, which was all of two minutes ago, I have four kids, only two of whom are still at home. (Well, my son still technically lives here, but he is in the military and so he is here only about two weeks at a time. I'll get to see him at Christmas for two and a half weeks and then send him to Iraq. Oh, boy, won't that be fun.) Anyway, my daughter recently bought a house with her fiancee and is now busy becoming domesticated. She calls me all the time for recipes. And in a panic, "I don't have olive oil, what should I do?" Well, go buy some olive oil. She is going to be making a turkey this weekend and although she is planning on following all of my turkey tips, she needs her Nonna's stuffing recipe. Now, Nonna wrote this recipe down for her in a memoir, but can my daughter locate the book her grandmother spent about two years writing? Not at the moment. Besides, it is easier to get it from Mom. I realize this is too late for Thanksgiving, but I thought if I had to write it down anyway, I might as well share it with the world. Or at least my seven followers.
Nonna's stuffing
1/2 bag cornbread stuffing mix
1/2 bag seasoned stuffing mix
1 T brown sugar
20 or so chestnuts, roasted, peeled, and chopped
3 roasted Italian sausages, cut into pieces
1 onion
1 c celery
1 apple, peeled and diced
Sage
Thyme
Parsley
Wine
Chicken stock
1 stick of butter
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion, celery, and apple and saute until soft. Add wine and simmer for a minute. Put stuffing mixes in a large bowl. Add chestnuts, sausage, and herbs. Mix in onion mixture and toss to combine. Add enough chicken stock to moisten. Add two beaten eggs and freshly ground pepper. Stuff inside your turkey.
Nonna's stuffing
1/2 bag cornbread stuffing mix
1/2 bag seasoned stuffing mix
1 T brown sugar
20 or so chestnuts, roasted, peeled, and chopped
3 roasted Italian sausages, cut into pieces
1 onion
1 c celery
1 apple, peeled and diced
Sage
Thyme
Parsley
Wine
Chicken stock
1 stick of butter
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion, celery, and apple and saute until soft. Add wine and simmer for a minute. Put stuffing mixes in a large bowl. Add chestnuts, sausage, and herbs. Mix in onion mixture and toss to combine. Add enough chicken stock to moisten. Add two beaten eggs and freshly ground pepper. Stuff inside your turkey.
What I Cook When I have no time
We all have those hellish days when we can't think of what to make for dinner, have no time to make anything for dinner, or can't don't have the energy to put into making something for dinner. So what does the Mendon Foodie do on those occasions? Well, I'll tell you what I DON'T do: I do not make anything from a box. Have I made food from a box in the past? Yes, I have. And was it absolutely horrible? YES!!!! When I was pregnant with my first child (I have four, which may explain my bad attitude) I had a day when I couldn't face cooking or eating. yet I still had to feed my new hubbie. We were on a tight budget, so what did I do? I fixed a box of Hamburger Helper for my husband. Mind you, I have still to this day never eaten Hamburger Helper. My mother did not make packaged food, either. Well, maybe the occasional side dish, but if you ask me to name anything specifically, I wouldn't be able to. Maybe my sisters could. Anyway, so my husband comes home and looks at the splendid feast I have managed to prepare while only throwing up once and says, "What's this?" And I reply, "Hamburger Helper!" And he replies, "It looks like shit." Then he tastes it, looks at me and says, "Never fix this for me again." I really can't say that I blame him. There has got to be something fast and easy to make that still tastes like real food.
Well there is! And I don't mean any of those annoying Rachel Ray recipes where she runs around her kitchen frenetically trying to make food in 30 minutes just to show you she can. Most people would probably rather slow down and cook at a more leisurely pace so they don't die of an aneurysm. So what do I cook when I don't feel like cooking, don't have time to cook, blah, blah, blah? Pasta!
My family (everyone except me, that is) is Italian. They like to eat pasta. A lot. If I cooked it as often as they want it, I would get so sick of it I would have to throw up. But, in the winter, I probably make it twice a week. Okay, three times. But do I open a jar of red sauce and throw it on? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NO OF COURSE I DON'T! There are many ways to dress pasta that require little effort, little time, and yet you would still want to actually consume them.There is one trick to getting a pasta dinner on the table fast: the first thing you do is start the water heating for the pasta. Make the sauce while the water comes to a boil. If you clean lettuce when you buy it and keep it wrapped in a towel inside a plastic bag in fridge you can have salad, too. Here is one of my families favorite pasta dishes, adapted from Marcella Hazan.
Bean pasta
Dice an onion and saute with four ounces of pancetta and two cloves of minced garlic until the onion is translucent and the pancetta is a little crispy. Drain one can of cannellini beans reserving liquid. Add that can plus one UNDRAINED can to the frying pan. Add some chopped fresh sage and rosemary. (Dried is okay, too.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. If it is too thick, add some more of the bean liquid.
Cook pasta while making the sauce and toss pasta with sauce and top with Parmesan.
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can keep the ingredients on hand and for when you are pressed for time. Pancetta freezes well. It is a nice thing to keep around. This recipe will make enough for about a pound and a half of pasta. You can make it with only one can of beans if you need a smaller amount. I devised this recipe when I still had four kids at home. I'm down to two, so now I make only one pound of pasta.
There are so many other quick pasta recipes that don't involve jarred sauce. I'll try to post some more soon, although I make no promises. It all depends on my mood.
Well there is! And I don't mean any of those annoying Rachel Ray recipes where she runs around her kitchen frenetically trying to make food in 30 minutes just to show you she can. Most people would probably rather slow down and cook at a more leisurely pace so they don't die of an aneurysm. So what do I cook when I don't feel like cooking, don't have time to cook, blah, blah, blah? Pasta!
My family (everyone except me, that is) is Italian. They like to eat pasta. A lot. If I cooked it as often as they want it, I would get so sick of it I would have to throw up. But, in the winter, I probably make it twice a week. Okay, three times. But do I open a jar of red sauce and throw it on? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NO OF COURSE I DON'T! There are many ways to dress pasta that require little effort, little time, and yet you would still want to actually consume them.There is one trick to getting a pasta dinner on the table fast: the first thing you do is start the water heating for the pasta. Make the sauce while the water comes to a boil. If you clean lettuce when you buy it and keep it wrapped in a towel inside a plastic bag in fridge you can have salad, too. Here is one of my families favorite pasta dishes, adapted from Marcella Hazan.
Bean pasta
Dice an onion and saute with four ounces of pancetta and two cloves of minced garlic until the onion is translucent and the pancetta is a little crispy. Drain one can of cannellini beans reserving liquid. Add that can plus one UNDRAINED can to the frying pan. Add some chopped fresh sage and rosemary. (Dried is okay, too.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. If it is too thick, add some more of the bean liquid.
Cook pasta while making the sauce and toss pasta with sauce and top with Parmesan.
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can keep the ingredients on hand and for when you are pressed for time. Pancetta freezes well. It is a nice thing to keep around. This recipe will make enough for about a pound and a half of pasta. You can make it with only one can of beans if you need a smaller amount. I devised this recipe when I still had four kids at home. I'm down to two, so now I make only one pound of pasta.
There are so many other quick pasta recipes that don't involve jarred sauce. I'll try to post some more soon, although I make no promises. It all depends on my mood.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Leave some comments, dammit
I know there are some people reading this blog besides Laura. She can't be logging on here as many times a day as it is being accessed. She may be one of my biggest fans, and the ultimate goddess of blogging, but she does have a life. Just one that doesn't involve cooking.
So, get to the point, you say? Leave a comment. I don't want to hear your whining about not knowing how. It is not that hard. I want to hear if you disagree with me, agree with me, think I'm a nutjob, whatever! Tell me what you're cooking and I'll tell you if you're doing it right. I may be opening a big can of worms, but I am curious. Do you know me, or just want to know me? Do you think I'm a bitch? Okay, maybe I am. Sometimes. Let me know.
So, get to the point, you say? Leave a comment. I don't want to hear your whining about not knowing how. It is not that hard. I want to hear if you disagree with me, agree with me, think I'm a nutjob, whatever! Tell me what you're cooking and I'll tell you if you're doing it right. I may be opening a big can of worms, but I am curious. Do you know me, or just want to know me? Do you think I'm a bitch? Okay, maybe I am. Sometimes. Let me know.
Osso Buco
Apparently people think I have cooked everything there is to cook under the sun. Not really true. I will attempt to cook just about anything that interests me, even if it is hard. But then again, there are plenty of things that come to mind that I wouldn't be caught dead cooking: Fish with eyes, frog's legs, anything slimy to name just a few. Oh yeah, and venison. Don't get me wrong, I think if people want to go out and shoot Bambi and eat him, that is just fine with me. As long as I don't have to eat it. I'm sure it is delicious, I think it's great that people save money by shooting their own meat, but really, I just don't want to be confronted with the bloody carcass of the food I'm planning on serving. I don't want to debate any ethical points, I am NOT a vegetarian, I have no problem with people hunting their food, I just DON'T want to be involved. I think it goes back to when my mom and step-dad were dating and he brought her a huge yellow-tail tuna from a fishing expedition he had been on. They butchered it in our kitchen sink. I couldn't look. Nor could I eat it after having seen the whole thing laying on our counter. It was a traumatic childhood incident, to which I am undoubtedly giving much more importance than it deserves. I'll bet Mom doesn't even remember that before her new boyfriend brought her a giant tuna she didn't even LIKE fish, but hey, he was very good-looking and he brought her presents, even if they were slimy, disgusting fish. Also, for the record, I do like fish and would eat and even cook one that someone caught, IF they brought it to me cleaned, gutted, and without a head.
Now, I've really gotten off track here. Another friend of mine apparently has a new boyfriend who likes to hunt and now she is hunting for recipes for venison osso buco. Yuck-o! So of course, what does she do? She asks me. You know, that everyone-thinks-I-can-cook-anything thing. I have made veal osso buco once. It was okay. Didn't thrill me. I don't think it is worth the expense and the hours of simmering. But anyway, she was looking for a tomato-based osso buco recipe, so I dug up this recipe for her, because I promised I would. And even if I am going to make fun of you, if I promise you I will do something, I will do it. Most of the time.
Now, I've really gotten off track here. Another friend of mine apparently has a new boyfriend who likes to hunt and now she is hunting for recipes for venison osso buco. Yuck-o! So of course, what does she do? She asks me. You know, that everyone-thinks-I-can-cook-anything thing. I have made veal osso buco once. It was okay. Didn't thrill me. I don't think it is worth the expense and the hours of simmering. But anyway, she was looking for a tomato-based osso buco recipe, so I dug up this recipe for her, because I promised I would. And even if I am going to make fun of you, if I promise you I will do something, I will do it. Most of the time.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Deb's Pie
I'm busily ensconced this weekend managing 60+ kids at six performances of the Nutcracker. It is a lot of fun, but it leaves no time for anything, inlcuding feeding my family. So we eat leftovers and go out to Dim Sum restaurants in between performances.
I did receive this picture from my intrepid friend, who was willing to try to tackle pie crust with my encouragement. Good job!
It doesn't have to be perfect, mine certainly never are, at least in the looks department. They taste fantastic, of course. I am practicing rolling. I recently bought a french rolling pin. It makes all the difference in the world! Here is what my friend had to say about making her crust:
"I had to add more butter and more water than your recipe says before I could even get it to ball up. And I am no good at rolling it out without it breaking apart.
I decided to shred frozen butter like it says in the Scones recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I unfortunately shredded my thumb knuckle only eight strokes into it, and so switched to cutting it into little tiny pieces and freezing it again.
No actual blood in the pie.
We'll see what everyone has to say tomorrow"
Now, my only comment is that she should have just used more ice water; the amount needed can vary every time you make a pie depending on the humidity, flour temperature, and who knows how many other factors. But, hey, she gave it a go, which is more than I can say for a lot of women out there who rely on store bought pie crust. Get with it, ladies.
I did receive this picture from my intrepid friend, who was willing to try to tackle pie crust with my encouragement. Good job!
It doesn't have to be perfect, mine certainly never are, at least in the looks department. They taste fantastic, of course. I am practicing rolling. I recently bought a french rolling pin. It makes all the difference in the world! Here is what my friend had to say about making her crust:
"I had to add more butter and more water than your recipe says before I could even get it to ball up. And I am no good at rolling it out without it breaking apart.
I decided to shred frozen butter like it says in the Scones recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I unfortunately shredded my thumb knuckle only eight strokes into it, and so switched to cutting it into little tiny pieces and freezing it again.
No actual blood in the pie.
We'll see what everyone has to say tomorrow"
Now, my only comment is that she should have just used more ice water; the amount needed can vary every time you make a pie depending on the humidity, flour temperature, and who knows how many other factors. But, hey, she gave it a go, which is more than I can say for a lot of women out there who rely on store bought pie crust. Get with it, ladies.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving Stress
If only I could just COOK, dammit, on thanksgiving. What's with all this CLEANING!!!
Since we had all of our kids here for a "Thanksgiving" dinner at the end of October, for the real Thanksgiving, my sister in law and I are making this meal for Thanksgiving. The best part is that she is an even better cook than I am (if that is possible). We are leaving out a few of the dishes because the menu is for twelve and there will be only seven of us, my smallest Thanksgiving dinner ever. My daughter is going to her fiancee's family and my son couldn't make it back from his military training. I will probably need either anti-depressants or lots of alcohol to get through it. I guess I'll probably go for the alcohol!
Anyway, good luck with your cooking endeavors tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving.
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